The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
Internal combustion engines combust an air/fuel (A/F) mixture within cylinders to generate drive torque. The combustion of the A/F mixture drives pistons that rotatably turn a crankshaft generating the drive torque. The drive torque may be transferred to a driveline (e.g., wheels) of a vehicle via a transmission. Lubricants (e.g., oil) may lubricate moving engine components to protect the components from damage (e.g., due to friction). For example, oil may be pumped into bearings of the engine from an oil sump.
The entrapment of air in engine oil may be referred to as “aeration.” Engine oil aeration may occur when the engine oil is being circulated at a high rate (e.g., high engine speeds) where there is less time for air bubbles to escape the engine oil. Additionally, engine oil aeration may increase as engine oil temperature decreases. Engine oil aeration may affect combustion and may thereby damage engine components and/or decrease engine performance. Similarly, low engine oil levels (e.g., less than a critical amount of engine oil)—also referred to as “starvation”—may damage engine components and/or decrease engine performance.